Police Officer Shot, 1 Person Dead, 1 Suspect In Custody In Englewood Standoff
By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 8, 2014 2:35PM
The condition of a Chicago Police officer wounded while trying to execute an arrest warrant Tuesday evening is stabilized Wednesday morning. Capt. Edward Kulbida, a 29-year veteran of the Police Department and the second-in-command at the Englewood District, was shot in the head and shoulder in the incident, which led to a shootout and standoff that ended around 11:30 p.m. with a suspect in custody and another person dead.
The drama unfolded around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when Chicago Police, assisting U.S. Marshals, attempted to serve a warrant on 42-year-old Daniel Brown, who was wanted on an attempted murder charge in Indianapolis last weekend. Brown is alleged to have shot a friend of his fiancée Saturday after she intervened in a domestic dispute. Authorities claim Brown then fled on foot, hijacked a car in a hotel parking lot, returned to his fiancée’s apartment, left in his own car, and shot two more people at separate locations. Indianapolis Police say Brown knew all of his victims.
Brown was believed to have stolen another vehicle and drove to Chicago, where he holed up in his sister’s apartment at 72nd Street and Lowe Avenue. He allegedly opened fire on the police and marshals as they were walking up to the apartment building’s front door. The ensuing shootout resulted in hundreds of police responding to the scene and the standoff. When police were finally able to enter the apartment, they found one person dead and Brown wounded.
Daniel Brown (Photo courtesy Indianapolis Police Department)
Kulbida, 58, is the highest ranking police officer to be shot in the line of duty in years. He has earned 146 departmental awards, including seven commendations. The standoff wreaked havoc with transit for residents attempting to reach their homes Tuesday. Metra service was suspended for hours. Police established a secure perimeter than ran for blocks, forcing residents trying to get home to wait until there was a resolution. It took authorities some time to evacuate the apartment building where Brown was holed up, while neighbors were ordered to stay in their homes. Armored vehicles were called in and the Illinois State Police offered assistance.
At Stroger Hospital, scores of police gathered as doctors worked on stabilizing Kulbida, while keeping media away from the hospital entrance. One of the bullets entered his head above his eyebrow and exited his temple, in what was described as a graze. McCarthy spoke to media at Stroger and expressed confidence Kulbida would not need surgery.
"The most important thing is that he's in great spirits, he's surrounded by his family, and he's going to be OK," McCarthy said.